In a report published last week, ’18 months of COVID-19 legislation in England: a rule of law analysis’, the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law found the government was still failing to give MPs impact assessments so they could properly scrutinise measures.
Moreover, the government had not been sufficiently transparent about how scientific advice fed into policy-making; continued to portray its public health advice as having the force of law, causing confusion among both public and police; and used delegated legislation for measures that substantially affected people’s everyday lives including criminalising ordinary behaviour.
MPs were due to vote this week on whether to renew the temporary provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020 for a further six months.
